Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
REGION V
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF SORSOGON CITY

RAWIS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Rawis, Bacon District, Sorsogon City

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS

TITLE: THE BRIEF HISTORY, CORE TEACHINGS, FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS, PRACTICES
AND RELATED ISSUES OF CHRISTIANITY
I. INTRODUCTION:

Three hundred thirty-three years of Hispanic occupation has made Christianity the predominant
religion in the Philippines. Why Christianity has remained relevant and popular in the Philippines
and the rest of the world in the 21st century is a subject worth taking in the study of World Religions.
Let us find out in this Learning Activity Sheet the historical background, fundamental beliefs, and
selected issues of Christianity.

II. OBJECTIVE/S: At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:
MELCS: Examine the brief history, core teachings, fundamental beliefs, practices, and
related issues of Christianity.
Specific Objectives:
1. Discuss briefly the historical background of Christianity;
2. Explain the core teachings of Christianity and its practices; and
3. Present selected issues related to Christian teachings.

III. LEARNING ACTIVITY

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF ABRAHAMIC RELIGION: CHRISTIANITY

Originally referred to as The Way, Christianity was founded by Jesus Christ, who was and is
considered by his followers as the Son of God and Messiah (Savior). Christianity developed in
Palestine around 100 C.E., a period of great political turmoil for Jewish Israel. During this time, the
reigning Roman Empire suffered some strong backslash from the Maccabees. The Maccabees was
a religious-political group resisting the Gentile occupation of Palestine, considered by the Jews as
the land promised to them by Yahweh (God). The Roman Empire was not having another resistance
and persecuted any group, including The Way, that posed as a threat to their rule. Slavery, political
oppression, and worsening socio-economic conditions caused the Jews to hope for a savior that will
liberate them from their miseries. The Judaism concept of Messiah, the deliverer, proved attractive
and consequently became popular among the people of Palestine. Many of them believed that the
birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophesy that God will send His Son to deliver the people
from sin and sufferings.
A number of people in Palestine followed Jesus because of the miracles he worked and the
relevance of his teachings in their situation that time. Jesus Christ taught the New Covenant – that God
has sent His begotten Son to save humanity from their sins and restore the people’s relationship with
God. Jesus preached that he fulfilled this goal by dying on the cross, then resurrecting to life after three
days to prove that God’s plan had succeeded. For his followers, the resurrection of Jesus sealed his
status as the promised Messiah, but conservative Jewish sects, particularly the Pharisees and the
Sadducees, denied it. They strongly opposed The Way and by accusing Jesus’ followers of heresy,
many were condemned to death. But death and suffering only ignited the passion of the followers, now
called Christians, to continue with the teachings of Jesus. Starting out with the Twelve Disciples,
Christianity eventually turned the world upside down when persecutors such as Saul of Tarsus got
converted and led many to believe in Jesus Christ.

1
 SACRED SCRIPTURES
The Bible is considered as the sacred scripture of Christianity. It is a collection of songs,
stories, poetry, letters, history, as well as literature. For Christians, the Bible is considered as
God’s Word. Bible scholars argue that people in the past who wrote the different stories in the
Bible were inspired by God through divine inspiration. In other words, people were guided by God
as they write their experiences about God. The bible is composed of two books, the Old
Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is considered the original Hebrew Bible
written between 1200 and 165 B.C.E. The New Testament was written by Christians around 100
C.E.

BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES

The central teaching of Christianity focuses on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ who is considered the Messiah or Savior of humanity. The most common symbol for
Christianity is the cross. Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross to save humanity from
their sins and to restore people’s relationship with God.

THE CORE BELIEFS OF CHRISTIANITY.

1. Bible is God’s Word. Christians believe that the bible was written and inspired by God.
2. Holy Trinity (One God 3 Persons). Christians believe in the Holy Trinity, which means God
has three aspects – Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. This idea can be complex for some
people to understand. This only means that there is only one God with three distinct Persons;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Christianity adopted this complicated idea of God because it was
the only way they could make sense of One God in the context of the events and teaching of
the Bible.
3. God is All-powerful, All-knowing, All-present, All-good. Christians believe in one God.
God is seen as the creator and maintainer of the universe and is believed to be omnipotent
(all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (all-present), and omnibenevolent (all-
good).
4. Resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Christian faith. Christians
believe that God raised Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion at Calvary. For Christians, his
resurrection is the guarantee that all the Christian dead will be resurrected at Christ's second
coming.
5. Last Judgment or The Great White Throne Judgment. This is considered the final
judgment by God. Said belief is written in Revelation which is the last book of the New
Testament.
6. Ten Commandments. These commandments should strictly be followed by Christians. These
are laws given by God to the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai through Moses.

RELIGIOUS ISSUES MET BY CHRISTIANITY

SEXUALITY
Due to its conservative view of human sexuality, Christianity has often found itself in conflict
with progressive and liberal ideas, specifically on the issues of artificial contraception, abortion, and
homosexuality. Christianity advocates that the goal of sexual union between men and women is
procreation. Thus, anything that might hinder this is considered immoral. For example, using
artificial contraceptives is considered a sin because they are engaging in sexual acts without
2
procreation in mind. Instead, Christianity advocates for the natural family planning methods, wherein
couples will engage in sexual acts only during days when the woman is not fertile and cannot
conceive a baby. In this light, abortion is also considered by the Catholic Church as immoral since it
entails the killing of life. For Catholic Church, being gay or lesbian is not a sin. However, do not
permit homosexual activity.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT AND EUTHANASIA

Capital punishment or death penalty, wherein a person is punished by death for his or her
capital crimes, goes against the Christian belief that life is given by God and should not be taken
away by any person. While still illegal in most Christian countries such as the Philippines, some
push for capital punishment as a way of deterring crime. This is the same perspective held by the
Catholic Church concerning euthanasia (mercy killing). Mercy killing is considered immoral since it
entails taking away what has been given by God, and that human beings should not interfere with
the natural process of death.

IV. LEARNING TASK:

TASK 1. Identify a teaching of Christianity which are most significant to you and briefly explain
each in your own words.
1. _____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Prepared by: ARNEST D. DIMAANO, Subject Teacher – RSHS

C.P. 0920 754 9110
F.B.G. WORLD RELIGION – Senior High – sir arnest